Sweet Potato Mexican Casserole with Roasted Corn and Black Beans

Planning a night in this Cinco de Mayo rather than heading out? I’ve got just the dish for you!

This Sweet Potato Mexican Casserole with Roasted Corn and Black Beans is bold in both color and flavor! And best of all it’s loaded with nutrition, yet low in calories, allowing plenty of room for some churro cupcakes, Mexican brownies, or fried ice cream! Because let’s be real, when it comes to holidays and festive occasions, it all about the sweets, right?! Or am I alone in this thought process?Basically, I want my dinner plate full of veggies and wholesome foods, but then bring on the dessert!

If you’ve followed Lemons and Basil for long, you likely know that I love both sweet potatoes and spiralized veggies. Combining the two in this Sweet Potato Mexican Casserole just makes it even better. The inherent sweetness of the potatoes create a lovely base to this casserole, pairing beautifully with the roasted sweet corn and veggies. To balance the natural sweetness, the black beans add a subtle earthy flavor, that is then perfected by the Mexican inspired seasonings and layers of freshly grated cheese.

I mean, let’s be honest, is it really Mexican without a generous layer of cheese? Exactly.

Top it all off with a scoop of sour cream, fresh diced tomatoes, and avocados! Your tummy will not only be thanking you for fueling your body with real food, but your taste buds will be begging you for seconds.

If you don’t have a spiralizer at home, I’ve recently been using this one from WonderEsque and am currently loving it! It’s easy to use and easy to clean – two very important features. However, you could also thinly slice the sweet potatoes for the recipe rather than spiralizing them. It may increase your cook time by 5-10 so be sure to check the potatoes to see if they’re done before turning the oven off!

AOL was kind enough to include me in their judges panel for the Spring AOL Food Awards. I had so much fun receiving and testing several small kitchen appliances and gadgets. This spiralizer was among those received and has quickly become a favorite! I plan to share a few of my other favorites in the near future.

Happy cooking and Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Sweet Potato Mexican Casserole with Roasted Corn and Black Beans

Recipe Type: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Kaylee Pauley

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 6

This Sweet Potato Mexican Casserole with Roasted Corn and Black Beans is bold in color, flavor, and nutrition!

Ingredients

1/2 tbsp coconut oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 medium bell peppers, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups whole kernel sweet corn, rinsed and patted dry

2 tsp chili powder, divided

2 tsp ground cumin, divided

1/2 cup mild salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese {or cheese of choice}

1/2 cup mozzarella shredded

2 large sweet potatoes, spiralized

Toppings: diced tomatoes avocado, sour cream, fresh cilantro

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add coconut oil, sliced bell peppers, onions, and minced garlic to a medium-large nonstick skillet. Cook on medium heat, stirring occassionally until onions and peppers begin to brown on the edges. Add 1 tsp chili and cumin, stir to combine, then remove from pan and set aside.

Add whole kernel corn {remember to first gently pat it dry with paper towels} to the same skillet along with a small amount of coconut oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the corn begins to become golden brown as it roasts.

Sprinkle corn with remaining tsp chili and cumin, stir to coat and remove from heat. Add the roasted veggies, black beans, and salsa into the corn, stir until well mixed.

In an 8x10 or 9x9 baking dish, add a layer of spiralized sweet potatoes, followed by a layer of roasted veggie mix, 3/4 cup shredded Colby jack cheese, then repeat the layers one more time ending with the cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Increase heat to 400 degrees and remove the foil while casserole bakes an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle final layer of 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and bake 5 more minutes or until top later of cheese is melted and sweet potatoes are cooked through.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then garnish with toppings of choice. We used diced tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream.